Multi-Narratives

Multi-narratives are artifacts that juxtapose single narratives. This arrangement creates a productive tension within the artifact that is larger than the sum of its parts. Reading multi-narratives is a twofold process: first, distinct local narratives within a work often create disruption and incongruity. Second and at the same time, this heterogeneity invites a 'bringing together' or 'making sense of' the relationship among the constituent narratives. In several close-readings, this volume explores key aspects of such multi-narrative interplay in works by Kate Atkinson, Julian Barnes, Louise Erdrich, Jackie Kay, Richard McGuire, Cynthia Ozick and Lionel Shriver.